I rarely bail out on historical romances; they tend to be such fast, light reads that I can easily get through even the ones I'm not in love with. ButI rarely bail out on historical romances; they tend to be such fast, light reads that I can easily get through even the ones I'm not in love with. But when I hit 130-some pages in and the leads had barely spent any significant time together, I realized that I didn't much care what happened next.

The main characters had no chemistry in their few one-on-one scenes. Watching Lia flail against her problems might have been compelling if she was a more engaging heroine, but she's too inconsistent to get a handle on. She spends much of the first third of the book having repetitive arguments about her future, and when she really digs in, she seems fairly childish.

I'm also getting tired of series romances that drag previous characters heavily into each new story. Even in the best-case scenario, when I've read and enjoyed their book, they're a distraction. This was actually my first Vanessa Kelly, chosen at random because I liked the premise, so grinding through all the asides praising the heroine from the last book was a pace-murdering drag....more

I liked the slow, meditative style of this one overall, but I wish the plot had been a little tighter. It felt as if Agent Spector's entire mission goI liked the slow, meditative style of this one overall, but I wish the plot had been a little tighter. It felt as if Agent Spector's entire mission got brushed aside once they arrived at Miskatonic.

I wasn't too interested in Leah's scenes during Jeweled Fire, so it surprised me how much I enjoyed this one. The story was paced really well, and I wI wasn't too interested in Leah's scenes during Jeweled Fire, so it surprised me how much I enjoyed this one. The story was paced really well, and I was never left feeling like Shinn's thorough descriptions slowed things down. Some aspects of the plot were predictable, but I don't always mind that in this kind of character-driven tale....more

This doesn't have the emotional depth of the author's later books, but it's a nicely structured story in a great setting. I especially liked that FiamThis doesn't have the emotional depth of the author's later books, but it's a nicely structured story in a great setting. I especially liked that Fiametta reads more like a realistic character than a Plucky Fantasy Heroine.

I'm sure it also helped that some elements reminded me a little of Sabatini's Italy-based novels....more